Summary

The author grapples with maintaining peace and kindness amidst political polarization, particularly in relation to President Trump's supporters and their own spiritual and moral beliefs.

Abstract

The article reflects on the personal struggle of the author to reconcile their disdain for President Trump's behavior with the need to maintain relationships with those who support him, including close friends and evangelical acquaintances. The author confesses to feeling heartbroken and baffled by supporters who seem to contradict their own spiritual values by aligning with Trump's policies and rhetoric. Despite the temptation to sever ties with those holding opposing political views, the author seeks a balance between speaking out against what they see as wrong and preserving friendships. They ponder the teachings of figures like the Dalai Lama, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr., on the importance of speaking truth while also practicing non-dual thinking and unconditional love. The author ultimately aspires to view the situation beyond the lens of political dichotomy, embracing the idea that all individuals, regardless of political affiliation, are part of a larger, interconnected humanity.

Opinions

The author expresses a strong disapproval of President Trump's conduct, viewing it as a bastardization of his office.
The author feels a sense of betrayal and confusion over friends and spiritual mentors who support Trump, questioning how their values align with his actions.
There is a recognition that political disagreements can lead to hatefulness and a departure from one's usual grace and kindness.
The author struggles with the tension between remaining silent to keep the peace and the moral imperative to speak out against injustice or wrongdoing.
The article suggests that some evangelical Christians may prioritize policy over personality, excusing Trump's behavior as separate from his political actions.
The author reflects on the challenge of practicing non-dual thinking, which allows for disappointment in others while still maintaining love and hope.
The author rejects the idea of unfriending or icing out those with differing political views, advocating instead for dialogue and understanding.
The author acknowledges their own hypocrisy and the need for self-reflection, as taught by spiritual teachings, to address one's own flaws before judging others.
The article concludes with a call for unity, emphasizing that political divisions should not overshadow the fundamental oneness of humanity.

I Believe in Santa, not Daenerys

Political games of thrones

By now, you’ve probably seen the clip. The one of the President at a rally, calling CNN “those b-s-a-ds.”

I’ll give Donald Trump his due as Halloween approaches; his bag of tricks — treats for his followers — never empties. Nor does it lose its potential to harrow me.

“How dare you call CNN such a name?” I hollered at the television. “You’re the one bastardizing your office!”

And that morning I’d prayed “cloak me with grace.”

Instead, yet again, I’d fed myself with hatefulness. Understandable hatefulness but “monkey see, monkey do” has never been my mantra.

Long before I read Mary Trump’s biography of her uncle, I recognized DT was a broken being. So did half the nation that mourned the 2016 election results. We could sense what was coming. As any amateur psychologist knows, broken beings wreak brokenness.

But I’m not here to bash our President. I’m here to confess that I’m losing the battle NOT to bash his supporters.

Let’s start with my friend Wanda (name changed). With a wave of her mystic’s wand, Wanda sparked my spiritual journey. Her soul lit my way.

Actually, let me edit that. Her pseudo soul lit my way. No lover of The Light could reply THIS GAL SUPPORTS TRUMP!!!! to an email cataloging DT’s lies.

I am heartbroken, baffled, stunned.

Then there’s Santa. Not St. Nick/Santa. My friend/Santa. Whom nuns describe as “more Catholic than the Pope.”

Santa’s training for a marathon of saintliness. Yet she voted for Trump in 2016 and responds to few political emails; she “must focus” on her spiritual path. Will Santa’s journey lead her to embrace the Lincoln Project? I’m not hopeful.

And let’s not omit the Crusading Christians in a Cast Iron Box — my evangelical pals. Jesus is THE WAY, the only way. I know Trump claims to follow Jesus, but does he walk the talk?

“We try not to confuse personality with policy,” Crusading Christians explain.

Guys, I know Jesus said render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s…but, at some point, shouldn’t personality trump policy?

At least my secular pro-Trump pals aren’t blaspheming their faith. They’re worshipping it — their idolatry of the buck, what’s theirs, their fear of Others, and change.

However, with all of them — Wanda, Santa, Crusading Christians, and secularists — I keep my mouth shut.

“My religion is kindness,” says the Dalai Lama. If I speak, fire-breathing toads may hop out, blasting our friendship like Daenerys’s dragon Drogon demolished King’s Landing.

I am doing my best to be a peacekeeper during this political game of thrones.

Yet Gandhi wrote, “Silence becomes cowardice when occasion demands speaking out the whole truth and acting accordingly.”

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter,” Martin Luther King added.

How do I balance feeling I must speak my piece with keeping the peace?

Obviously, I must be polite. Willing to listen. Open.

I must cage my Drogon.

“Hey,” I texted a conservative pal. “I really like what Mitt Romney said.”

The text had scarcely registered “delivered” than a reply came back. “Romney’s a dweeb and a coward.”

I sent a sad face emoji.

Then Drogon broke free of my leash. Over and over, like a litany, I screamed to my partner THAT MAN IS NO LONGER WELCOME IN OUR HOME!

Gandhi, MLK, forgive me. I am so not ready for the big leagues.

I need to perfect keeping the peace within myself.

Should I try walking in the shoes of some fellow progressives — unfriending friends and icing out family members? Play jury and find them guilty? Play judge and sentence them to Siberia?

But you are reading the words of a woman who stuck by a friend who encouraged her to hire his son to do handy work without telling her, the mother of two young children, that his son was a convicted pedophile.

I have trouble letting go of those I love.

Yes, I’m back to texting The Heinous Romney Hater. Wanda’s gone AWOL. I believe in Santa.

I also believe in compromise. I proudly pull on my Kamala tee shirt — not to breathe fire at friends who dissent but to spark discussion.

Talking points never include how spiritually bankrupt I find the other side. I have punted this to the Divine who reminds me: “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7: 5

Ouch, that h-word hurts! Please let me not be what I condemn DT for being.

And isn’t it ironic? Plank-removing may well be what Santa the Saint is attempting.

Most importantly, what better opportunity will there ever be to practice non-dual thinking than during this polarized political season?

I can be disappointed in others and, at the same time, love them.

I can despair yet have hope.

I can let go as I persevere.

It’s not us vs them. It’s not us or them. It’s us and them.

We’re all One. Each of us, Democrat or Republican, Daenerys or Santa, a wave in an ocean of love.

Thank you, Dr Mehmet Yildiz and team, for publishing my struggle to cloak myself in grace. (Prayer courtesy of writer/speaker Caroline Myss.)

Thank you, dearest readers.